What Are a Plant Engineer's Responsibilities?

Where a business operates a production facility, a plant engineer is often employed by the business. According to Plant Engineering, facility engineers, also referred to as manufacturing engineers, are in charge of the plant's mechanical, electrical, and automated systems. Good technical expertise is only one of the necessary skill sets for a plant engineer.

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A plant engineer is in charge of the mechanical and electrical systems in a production facility. Installation to troubleshooting are among the tasks. Technical proficiency is essential, but to perform your job well, you also need strong planning abilities, as well as strong written and oral communication skills.

Plant Engineer: Job Description

A plant or manufacturing engineer is a subspecialty of industrial engineering, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Industrial engineers look at ways to make manufacturing as cost-effective and efficient as possible, including both the machines and the factory staff; plant engineers focus entirely on the machine side.

GHD says plant engineers may be called on to improve efficiency, upgrade to new technologies, repair equipment, increase production and reduce bottlenecks in manufacturing. Businesses may consult with plant engineers when they're preparing to launch a new product or when it's necessary to solve problems at an existing facility.

Aspiring Minds, a talent evaluation company, says that the job of plant engineer is often more intense than the description makes it sound. Errors in installation or glitches in the machinery can translate into big, expensive losses for the manufacturing company. A plant engineer has to test and evaluate machinery regularly and fix problems fast. It's quite common for engineers to be constantly on the go, taking care of one problem only to have another erupt under their feet.

Plant Engineer: Education Requirements

The BLS says that if you want to enter any branch of industrial engineering you need, at a minimum, a four-year engineering degree. Industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering degrees are all good options. On top of education, you need hands-on experience. Any sort of apprenticeship program or college co-op education program that gets you out of the classroom and into the field is a plus for your career.

Technical knowledge is only part of what's required to do a good job as a plant engineer. Aspiring Minds says a plant engineer needs excellent problem-solving skills and the knowledge and intelligence to correctly analyze and interpret data. You need to be able to set priorities and plan effectively to keep the factory running.

Aspiring Minds and BLS both stress that a plant engineer needs excellent communications skills, both oral and written. You have to document problems and solutions and write down standard procedures as you develop them. You'll also have to direct your team's work and explain your plans to your bosses and fellow engineers.

Plant Engineer: Industry

Like other industrial engineers, plant engineers are valuable anywhere there's a factory churning out products. They may be able to work in a variety of manufacturing industries or for the government.

According to PayScale, the average plant engineer salary is $79,607, with a range from $56,000 to $112,000. Bonuses can add as much as $15,000 to the compensation package, and profit sharing adds anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000.

Plant Engineer: Growth Trend

The job outlook for all kinds of industrial engineering is promising, the BLS says. Job growth through 2028 is projected at 8 percent, higher than the average for the job market as a whole. The BLS says increasing rates of automation in manufacturing will increase the need for plant engineers.

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